A step by step tool for top achievers

2. Getting What We Want
When our value system is not clear, getting what we want can be a bigger tragedy. The
story of King Midas says it all.
THE MIDAS TOUCH
We all know the story of the greedy king named Midas. He had a lot of gold and the more
he had the more he wanted. He stored
all the gold in his vaults and used to spend time every day counting it.
One day while he was counting a stranger came from nowhere and said he would grant
him a wish. The king was delighted and said, "I would like everything I touch to turn to
gold." The stranger asked the king, Are you sure?" The king replied, "Yes." So the
stranger said, "Starting tomorrow morning with the sun rays you will get the golden
touch."
The king thought he must be dreaming, this couldn't be true. But the next day when he
woke up, he touched the bed, his clothes, and everything turned to gold. He looked out of
the window and saw his daughter playing in the garden. He decided to give her a
surprise and thought she would be happy. But before he went to the garden he decided
to read a book. The moment he touched it, it turned into gold and he couldn't read it.
Then he sat to have breakfast and the moment he touched the fruit and the glass of
water, they turned to gold. He was getting hungry and he said to himself, "I can't eat and

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drink gold." Just about that time his daughter came running and he hugged her and she
turned into a gold statue. There were no more smiles left.
The king bowed his head and started crying. The stranger who gave the wish came again
and asked the king if he was happy with his golden touch. The king said he was the most
miserable man. The stranger asked, "What would you rather have, your food and loving
daughter or lumps of gold and her golden statue?" The king cried and asked for
forgiveness. He said, "I will give up all my gold. Please give me my daughter back
because without her I have lost everything worth having." The stranger said to the king,
"You have become wiser than before" and he reversed the spell. He got his daughter
back in his arms and the king learned a lesson that he never forget for the rest of his life.
What is the moral of the story?
1. Distorted values lead to tragedy.
2. Sometimes getting what you want may be a bigger tragedy than not getting what you
want.
3. Unlike the game of soccer where players can be substituted, the game of life allows no
substitutions or replays. We may not get a second chance to reverse our tragedies, as
the king did.